The Whitehorse Glacier Bears swim team sent 17 Yukon athletes to compete against teams from N.W.T., B.C., Alberta and Washington state at the Wavemaker Swim Meet in Victoria, B.C., from April 18 to 20.
The Glacier Bears told the News in an email that approximately 400 athletes from teams across Canada and the U.S. competed at the meet, held at Saanich Commonwealth Place.
Several Yukon swimmers delivered strong performances, according to the an email from the team's coaches. River Powell won gold in the 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre backstroke, while Blake Steele and Alexandra Grandy each claimed podium finishes in the 800-metre freestyle.
Multiple athletes reached the finals, placing in the top eight of their respective events. Grandy competed in breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke, while Powell excelled in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. Tristan Edelman reached finals in backstroke and butterfly and Steele made the cut in individual medley (IM), breaststroke and freestyle.
Other finalists included Aubree Henderson in breaststroke, Roy Oborne in freestyle and butterfly, Rylan Steele in IM and Nevay MacKinnon in freestyle. The results highlight the ability of Yukon youth athletes to compete against a larger field of teams from across the country.
Coaches Amberly Doucette and Spencer Edelman wrote to the News expressing their satisfaction with the results, especially given that the Glacier Bears train in a 25-metre pool. The 50-metre Saanich Commonwealth Place pool requires double the endurance needed than that at the Canada Games Centre in Whitehorse.
The Glacier Bears ran a survey in November 2024, with 80 per cent of approximately 600 respondents expressing support for a long-course facility to meet the needs of Yukon’s swimming community.
The Whitehorse Glacier Bears are hosting the Yukon Champs Invitational Swim Meet from May 2 to 4. The team says it is the biggest swim event in Yukon’s history, with up to 160 athletes attending from Yukon, Inuvik and Haines, Alaska.
The City of Whitehorse announced on April 30 that the Canada Games Centre swimming pool will be closed for the duration of the Yukon Champs Invitational Swim Meet.
The coaches told the News that the Glacier Bears are preparing for future competitions, including the summer B.C. provincial championships, summer divisionals and the Canada Summer Games.
Earlier this season, the Glacier Bears competed in the U11 Dino Cup Swim Meet in Calgary from April 12 to 13, as well as the B.C. Winter Divisional Championships, held Feb. 21 to 23 in Penticton, B.C.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
